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IAAPA Expo opens in Florida

The annual IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) Expo will open for business today (17 November) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, US.

The five-day event’s conference programme gets underway today and the exhibition floor will be opened by the association’s chair, Bob Masterson, and president, Charlie Bray, tomorrow.

The expo is the largest of its kind within the attractions industry and includes a trade show which this year occupies one million sq ft (93,000sq m) at the Orange County Convention Center.

An estimated 25,000 people from more than 85 countries will visit the show floor during the week.

This year’s seminar programme will include a keynote speech by Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, who will offer delegates his views on the corporate consolidation within the attractions industry.